The Vietnamese Boat People podcast is stories of hope, survival and resilience. Between 1975 to 1992, almost two million Vietnamese risked their lives to flee oppression and hardship after the Vietnam War, in one of the largest mass exoduses in modern history. Escaping by boat, many found freedom in foreign land, many were captured and brutally punished, and many did not survive the journey. This population of people are known as the ‘Vietnamese Boat People‘ and these are their stories. Support the show and the mission to elevate our stories at www.vietnameseboatpeople.org/donate We are a 501(c)3 tax-deductible organization. Thank you for your support!
https://vietnameseboatpeople.podbean.com
episode 47: #47 Live Episode! Making Before Me w/Lisa Phu
Lisa Phu is an Alaska-based journalist and the creator of "Before Me", a limited series chronicling her mother’s journey to America. Lisa has always wanted to record her mom's story but never quite found the right moment, until she gave birth to her first child in 2016 and her mom came to care for them both. During that visit, Lisa's mom finally shared the real story about growing up in Cambodia, fleeing genocide by the Khmer Rouge, surviving as a gold dealer in Vietnam, building a home in America while navigating the fallout and traumas of war… and carrying the future of her children throughout the journey. Lisa shares her 5-year journey in making the series from the first day she pressed record to releasing the story, Before Me with Self Evident Media.
"Before Me" is a 5-part story that follows one woman’s life, from Cambodia to America, over the course of decades. But it’s also a long overdue conversation between mother and daughter about their family’s history — through war and violence, separation and loss, endings and beginnings. To make Before Me, Lisa was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council and did a residency at Alderworks Alaska Writers & Artists Retreat. She was an AIR New Voices scholar in 2017 and an AIR Edit Mode fellow in 2021.
Episode Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
Editing Support: Matt Young
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other music: Free Mind: Wildflowers, In-Between Heartbeats: Headlund